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Should the Patriots be a Tom Brady Bunch?

There’s been a lot of talk and speculation lately about what Tom Brady’s return will mean for the New England Patriots in 2009. By now, most of us have seen footage of him on the field during workouts, and he seems to be doing well enough. But, even given the observations, many people are not optimistic about whether or not Brady will be able to return at the same high level of his glory days.

However, no discussion thus far has seemed to account for the chances of the Patriots’ star quarterback suffering a repeat of last season. Remember how Brady was clipped in the knee by Chiefs’ safety Bernard Pollard after completing all of an eighth of a game last season? You can bet that the rest of the league does. A torn ACL is a devastating injury; it pretty much automatically takes you out of action for a year. Now, one of the NFL’s perennial playoff contending teams have a huge liability to watch out for in the bulls-eye now on Brady’s knee.

You have lots of teams that are hungry to flex their post-draft muscles, or otherwise make a name for themselves after years of not living up to expectations. The Broncos are certainly itching to secure a playoff spot, especially after losing out to the charges in Week 17 last year. Indianapolis will be wanting to reclaim their position as division champs after losing out to the Titans. Let’s not forget the arch-rival New York Jets’ new weapon at quarterback.

These teams and all the other opponents this year know how lethal the Pats can be with Brady once again at the helm. If I were them, I’d be looking for any way I could to neutralize him so I could improve my chances at making the playoffs. Taking a shot at Brady’s injury might just be the best way to do it. If any players are ambitious enough to try, and are good enough at acting, they might take Brady out of the equation with only a fifteen-yard roughing penalty for their troubles.

As far as Brady’s knee goes, I find it hard to believe he will ever return to his prior potential. Any surgically repaired body part can never return to its full strength; we’ve seen too many examples to list in all professional sports leagues. Even if Brady doesn’t have his injury forcibly re-aggravated, it is still susceptible to more aggressive wear and tear than before it was injured. Maybe he runs too hard and lands on it wrong. Maybe he twists it while trying to pivot. In any case, Brady’s knee, even though it’s now healed, has too high a risk of damage to consider him being as major a player for the Patriots as he’s been before. Even minor damage that only takes him out for a few games could mean the difference between another chance at the Super Bowl and sitting at home during January.

That being said, New England still has a very good chance of returning to their former glory. They just need to manage Brady better. Don’t overtax him, and don’t have him play every minute of every game, especially if he looks sore. Keep a solid rotation going with the backup quarterbacks to keep opponents’ strategies from getting to Brady. Maybe even keep opponents guessing with an occasional Quarterback Sneak on 1st and 10.

If the Patriots stay wise and never underestimate their opponents, then the Lombardi Trophy could easily come back home to New England. With all that’s going on in the off-season, we might even get a few surprise gems in the playoffs, like a coveted Tom Brady vs. Matt Cassel face-off, or a rematch with the Giants or Bears in the Super Bowl.

Tags: Patriots, Tom Brady